Animal trap



Ogt- 12 1926.

1,602,652 J. CREECH ANIMAL TRAP Filed May 1, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .7 Inventor Attorney I ANIMAL TRAP Filed May 1, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 1 Inventor .9 f Cre'acfi H YBJIQMMJW Attorney Patented Get. 12, 1926.

JAMES CREECH, OF SAUGUS, CALIFORNIA.

ANIMAL TRAP.

Application filed May 1, 1926. Serial No. 105,987.

My present invention pertains to animal traps, and contemplates the provision of a simple, inexpensive and reliable trap for rats and other rodents; the trap in one size being adapted for mice and in another size for rats and, it being within the purview of my invention to so proportion the parts in a single trap that the trap may be used to advantage for the catching of both mice and rats.

WVith the foregoing in mind, the invention in all of its details will be fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the trap constituting the best practical embodiment of my invention of which I am cognizant.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the same with portions in section.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken in the plane indicated by the line 33 of Figure 2, looking toward the left.

Figure 1 is a vertical central section taken in the plane indicated by the line 1-4 of Figure 2, with the bail omitted.

Figure 5 is an inverted plan view of the platform which may be used to support bait with a view to attracting rodents to the retentionv chamber of the trap.

Figure 6 is a detail perspective of the non-return element of the trap, with a portion thereof broken away.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the. drawings.

It is within the purview of my invention to make the major portion of my novel trap of sheet metal or of any other material or materials compatible with the purpose of the trap.

Among other elements the trap comprises a retention chamber 1 designed to contain water, designated by 2, in its lower portion and provided with a hinged cover 3, adapted to be normally maintained in a closed position through the medium of a fastener 4 which may be of any appropriate type. WVhile Ihdescribe the cover 3 as hinged it is obvious that the said cover 3 may be adapted in any approved'manner to be opened when it is necessary to remove the carcasses of rats or mice therefrom.

The chamber 1 is preferably, though not downwardly under the weight of the rat or mouse and hence the rat or mouse will be nnmersed 1n the water 2 and ultlmately drowned.

The chamber portion 1 of the trap may be and preferably is equipped with a bail 8.

Disposed at opposite sides of the chamber portion 1 of the trap are reversely arranged entrance portions 9 and 10, each of the said entrance portions including a casing 11, open at one end and closed at its opposite end, Figure 3, and having its closed end connected through the medium of a conduit 12 with the interior of the chamber 1. In each chamber or casing 11 is arranged a swing-able platform 13, pivoted at 14. and

designed to normally rest in the position shown in Figure 3. Also arranged in each casing 11 and at the entrance end thereof is a lever member 15, pivoted .at 16 and equipped at 1 7 with a weight, the gravitational action of which tends to yieldingly retain the platform 13 in the Figure 3 posi-;

tion. Links 18 are interposed between and pivotally connected to the platform 13 and the lever member 1.5; it will also be noted that a non-return element 19 is fixed to the lever member 15 and normally rests at an approximately acute angle to the links 18.

By virtue of this arrangement it will be noted that when a rat or mouse enters the trap and passes upon either of the platforms 13, the platform will be depressed when the rat or mouse arrivesat a point near the inner end of the platform 13, and hence the lever member 15 will be swung andthe non-return element 19 will be caused to assume a pendent position, in which position said element 19 will preclude retrograde movement or escape of the rat mouse; At this time the rat or mouse at tracted by the scent of the. bait on the platform 5 in the chamber 1 will pass through the conduit or passage 12 and when the or mouse discerns the bait-upon the plattorn'i 5 the rat or mouse will jump to said platform 5 whereupon the operation before described will ensue ldanitestly when a rat or mouse passes as stated from the platform 13 to the end of the passage or conduit 12, the gravitational action of the lower arm of the lever. member 15 will operate to promptly return the, platform 18 and the non-return element 19 to the normal positions shown in Figure 3 so that the trap will again be in readiness to catch a rat or mouse.

it will beapparcut from the foregoing that my novel trap may be inadein (littereni for the catching of mice and rats, re pectively, and i would also have it unntood that it is within the purview of my invention to make one of the entrance portions 0:? the tea) oi a size appropriate for mice, and the other entrance portion oi a lai 1' size appropriate for rats. Again, it is wit iin the purview of my invention to make the trap of a size suited to the etching oi? animals other than mice and rats.

When equipped with the mentioned bail 8, my novel trap may obviously be moved with facility from one point to another and may be conveniently carried in the h nds.

it will be appreciated from the foregoing that in novel rattrap is, at once, simple and inexpensive construction and efli- -cient in operation, and that the trap in general is well adapted to withstand the usage to which devices of corresponding character are ordinarily subjected.

' l have entered into a detailed description of the construction and. relative arrangementol parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my-invention in order to impart a full, clea and exact understandt cit-the said embodiment. I do not desire, however, to be understood as limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement disc oscd, my invention being defined by my appended claims within the S( of which mod'fications may be made without departure trrom my invenllor insance, while the reverse arrangement of the entrances of the trap is preferable in order that mice or rats may simultaneously enter the trap Without being seen by each other, yet when deemed expedient the entrain-es may be arranged at the same side of the trap without departnre my invention. it will be noted, however, that the reverse arrangement o the ent ances is desirable not oiily tor the reason .etore stated, but also because it renders it feasible to locate the d scharge or exit orifices ot the conduits or passages 12 in about the same horizontal plane as ill he understood from Figure 3.

the entrance portions, ve

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent S I Liv trap comprising a retention an entrance portion located along- "l retention chamber and open at a platform located in the entrance and hingedly mount-ed adjacent id open ends thereof, a lever pivoted in the upper portion of 0 on end of the entrance and having lever arm weighted, a connection beson the inner end of the platform and the upper arm of said lever member, and a non-return ember carried by and movable with the l .er arn'i o? the lever member, rnd a. con I 't coin-i'uunicating with the en :c portion at the closed end thereof l having its receiving end located above Leer end of the platform and also g its Gilt end in-communication with e interior of the retention chamber. 2. A trap comprising a retention chamber, entrz-znce portions located at opposite sides of the retention chamber and having casin -s clo ed at one end and open at their oppo ends, a conduit leading from the closed ends or the casings of the entrance s" to the retentionchamber, vertically ible platforms arranged in the casat the entrance port-ions and hinged near the bottom and open ends of said casings, lever members mounted near the open the casings oi the entrance portions ends 0 and -h vine I weighted arms, non-return membe t 'l with respect to the weighted per arms of the lever members.

3. A trap comprising a retention chamber, entrance portions arranged at opposite sides of said chamber and having reversely arranged entrances, conduits interposed between- :and connecting the opposite ends of the entrance portions and the retention chamber, vertically swingable platforms in really swingable lever members in said portions and having weighted arms, non-return elements fixed to the weighted arn'is of the lever members, and link connections between the plat-forms and the npi arms of the lever members. prising a retention cham- A tr p co her, an en aace portion, a conduit intermediate oi the entrance portion to the retention chamber, vertically movable means in the entrance portion and depressible by the weightof an entering animal, and nonrcturn me, operable by depression oi said depresisible means to prevent retroide movement of an animal from the unrance portion.

In testimonv wh reof I aiii my signature.

2; JAldES GREECE. 

